THE SALVATION AND EDIFICATION OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Part Two
As children, we have all played cowboys and Indians, school, house, soldiers, cops and robbers, doctors and nurses, spacemen, or other roles that were a part of past or future generations. There comes a time when thinking and playing like a child (1Cor. 13: 11) comes to an end and one must identify and engage in the role that God has in mind for dispensation (period of history) in which He placed us.
In some cases, the roles we played as children become our area of occupation in or outside of the home, labor, or profession as we become adults in the real world. Whatever role we find ourselves in, it is there (at least for the moment) that we are called to be His ambassadors (2Cor. 5: 20). It is in the capacity of an ambassador that we promote the Great Commission, participating in the salvation and in the edifying of souls.
The door of opportunity to be saved closes when one depart this Earth. No departed soul can be later prayed into Heaven of out of Hell. NO ONE knows if today is or is not going to be his or her last day on Earth. Today could be the last day of opportunity to be saved, or to take part in the salvation of someone else. Today could be the last day of opportunity to be further edified, or to further edify someone else. You, or they, may not be here tomorrow.
Any given individual on Earth could die today as a result of things that had nothing to do with one's age or health. If the Rapture takes place today, every born again believer would be instantaneously gone.
The Rapture may not take place for another 60 years or more. But on the other hand, it could take place before you finish reading this presentation!
Even in the absence of a pandemic, secular statistics reveal that over 100,000 souls or more leave this world every day. The departure of many being the last thing on their minds when they went to bed the night before or when they got up this morning.
The opportunity for any given born again believer to participate in the Great Commission ends at the Rapture or at his/her individual physical death; whichever comes first. The opportunity to be used by God to evangelize or to edify family, friends, and foes (Matt. 5:44) comes to an end when you or they depart this world.
If one has not been born again, the window of opportunity to be saved closes at the moment of physical death. Once departed, any soul that left this world in the capacity of an unbeliever,he or she can not later be prayed into Heaven or prayed out of Hades.
After the Rev. 20: 13, 15 event takes place, such unbelievers will not be spared from spending all of eternity in the lake of fire.
Each time (if there are additional opportunities coming) one says "No" or "Not interested" to God, his/her spirit heart develops another layer of scar tissue, hardening the heart a little bit more. This applies to the heart of an unbeliever regarding God's call to salvation, and the heart of a born again believer regarding God's call to discipleship and ambassadorship.
Thus we have been given clear Biblical warnings found in such verses as Heb. 3: 8, John 8: 24, Rev. 20: ,15, 1Cor. 3: 15. Some of these warnings apply to unbelievers. Others apply to believers.
One can become more religious or less religious any time one wants, but one can only be born again in response to the pre-salvation calling (Heb. 3: 15) of God the Holy Spirit when the Gospel Message is presented to him or her. God calls born again believers to the life of discipleship, and calls disciples to the life of ambassadorship EVERY day.
When the Gospel Message is presented, it's God the Holy Spirit (not the human communicator) who makes the Gospel understandable to an unsaved soul, affording the recipient the opportunity to be saved.
God uses human communicators, but it is God Who is calling all unbelievers to salvation (1Tim. 2: 4). God calls all born again believers to discipleship (Matt. 28: 19, 20). God calls all disciples to ambassadorship (2Cor. 5: 20). God calls all of the above to start and to finish the course (2Timothy 4: 7).
There is no greater honor, service, or responsibility than to speak for God. This function is not limited to clergy. It is a part of the plan that God has for everyone who climbs the ladder from born again believer to disciple; from disciple to ambassador. But with that responsibility, comes accountability (James 3: 1).
These callings of God are irrevocable (Romans 11: 29), and so are the blessings or consequences of our chosen responses.
Can you hear His voice? To which one of the above is God calling you today? What is your answer? There may be no tomorrow.
Salvation is not based on the overt activities that we do, have done, or refrain from doing. Our salvation is based on placing our personal trust and confidence in the atoning Work that Jesus Christ finished (John 19: 30) on the cross. NOTHING more, nothing less.
On the other hand, discipleship will require much more of us, as we DENY ourselves in order to follow Him down the road to spiritual maturity (Matt. 16: 24).
Discipleship is a post (after) salvation activity. Being a POST salvation activity, it does not even begin until AFTER the issue of salvation has been forever settled (Romans 8: 1). Discipleship has got nothing to do with earning, obtaining, or retaining salvation, but has everything to do with executing the type of post salvation spiritual life outlined in Scripture.
This is where the followers of Christian religion and the followers of Biblical Christianity separate and take different paths at this fork in the road.
Followers of Christian Religion HOPE that they saved and spend much of their lives trying to use human effort and Man-made religion to make or to keep themselves "right with God" in order to receive His earthly and Heavenly blessings. The problem with approach to spirituality is that WITHOUT God (John 15: 5), WE can accomplish NOTHING of significance in the spiritual realm.
Earning salvation sounds like a plan, as it makes sense and appeals to the arrogance and ignorance of our fallen nature. But the flaw in this strategy is that the outcome is based on OUR performance (Eph. 2: 8, 9), and not on His. No matter how relatively good we become or how well we perform, it will NEVER be good enough (Rom. 3: 23) to obtain or retain salvation.
Christian Religion(s) tends to roll salvation, discipleship, and ambassadorship into one ball of wax. Some go as far as making discipleship the means to either complete the "finished (John 19: 30)" work of Jesus, or as the means to retain the salvation that a born again believer has already received.
Well-intending, but blind guides lacking spiritual discernment do more harm than good. Unprepared (1Peter 3: 15) and ill-equiped (Ephesians 6: 11- 17) ambassadors will be neutralized before they take three steps into the battlefield of intense spiritual combat
All born again believers are forever (Romans 8: 1) saved, but many Christians NEVER advance beyond spiritual infancy (1Cor. 3:1).
Some embrace discipleship, but desert the battlefield when deceived, distracted, or discouraged (Mark 4: 16 - 19). Many are unwilling to risk rejection by lovers, family, and/or friends (Luke 24: 26) that the application of Bible Doctrine part of discipleship would require of them.
Only a minority of Christians continue to fight the fight, and finish the course (2Tim. 4: 7) when challenged by personal adversity.
If fallen Man could have been saved by good behavior, good deeds, or rituals performed at the hands of human priests, then for what reason did God the Father send and subject God the Son to suffer a painful, humiliating death in order to atone for sin on a Roman cross?
If ANYTHING else in addition to faith is required for one to be saved, then those "anything elses" means that the atoning work on the cross was not really "finished - John 19: 30 NASB," as Jesus announced.
Jesus made it clear to the unbelievers of His day (and now) that, "... unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins (John 8: 24).”
There is only ONE final destination for spiritually dead souls (Rev. 20: 15). What unbelievers need to understand is that spiritual death of the soul, unlike the physical death of the body, is NOT the end of it's existence. For ALL of (never-ending) eternity, every soul that God creates will be consciously alive and experiencing the environment that was established by the conscious choices he or she made while here on Earth.
The popular, "No one is promised tomorrow" saying would be more edifying if the statement were concluded by adding the phrase "to be "saved." Atheists and non-Chistians will agree that no one is promised tomorrow here on Earth, but it is what we believe takes place AFTER one departs is where we differ.
The Bible is either the greatest source of spiritual truth, or the greatest lie ever told. If the Bible is the greatest lie, that makes it's source of inspiration (2Tkm. 3: 16) the greatest liar. If there is no eternity or accountability ahead of us, then we may just as well eat, drink, and be merry (Eccl. 8: 15) for as long as we can do before we come to the inevitable end of the road. note that this Eccl. 8: 15 opinion of Solomon was made BEFORE He came to the ultimate conclusion that without God, everything is meaningless. The Book of Ecclesiastes begins a d ends with this conclusion. Throught the book, Solomon traces his observations and experiences, as he did everything he could, only to find the futi!ity of life without God.
On the other hand, if the Bible IS the inspired Word of God, and God is speaking the truth, speaks of IS speaking the truth, then we must be born again (John 3 5, 7), and then be wise to identify, develop, maintain, and execute the type of post salvation spiritual life that the Bible promotes.
From the very beginning and throughout all of human history, the devil or those who do his bidding have questioned, rejected, distorted, added to, and ignored what the spoken and the written (Bible) Word of God has had to say.
Learning (2Pet. 3: 18) and applying (James 1: 22) what the Word of God ACTUALLY had to say, is saying now, and what it says concerning future events will continue to be at the heart of spiritual combat throughout the course of human history.
" And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment (Heb. 9: 27 NASB)." At that time, it will be what the Bible ACTUALLY had to say that is going to matter and NOT what anyone or anything else had to say.
Among the things that the Bible has to say is that every soul that God has created or will create WILL live on for all of eternity. Life after death is not a matter of IF, by a matter of WHERE and HOW it WILL be experienced.
Another thing that the Bible says is that those who do not believe that, "I am He" will die in their sins (John 8: 24).
Believing that "I am He" means that one acknowledges that Jesus was/is God the Son, Who at the First Advent (Christmas) took on human form, and in the capacity of the Lamb of God, would and did atone for the world's sin debt on the cross.
To die in your sins, means to leave this world at the moment of physical death in the capacity of an unbeliever. In Revelation 20: 15, we read of the eternal future of ALL souls that, by the John 3: 18 decision they make, choose to leave this world in the capacity of an unbeliever.
"And if anyone’s name (regardless of religious or lack of religious participation, good behavior,or good deeds) was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 15 NASB parentheses mine)."
To have one's name written down in the Rev. 20: 15 book of life one MUST (John 3: 5, 7) be born again.
Post salvation sin results in divine discipline (Heb. 12: 6), but such divine discipline does not undo the (Ephesians 4: 30) sealing (baptizing), or the (Titus 3: 5) regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit that took place the moment one was born again. Physical death (Acts 5) is the most extreme form of divine discipline, but the physical death of the body does not take the life of the departed soul. Divine discipline is NOT by any means the only cause or purpose (John 19: 30) for physical death (Psalm 116: 15).
Spiritually speaking, the only tragic death is the death of one who dies in his or her sin (John 8: 24). The tragic part is the irreversible consequences (Rev. 20: 15).
God's gifts, including the gift of eternal life, are irrevocable (Romans 11: 29).
Followers of Biblical Christianity KNOW that they are forever (Romans 8: 1) saved. They thank God that their salvation is NOT dependent on what they did or had done by anyone else, but by having trust and confidence (faith) in what He did, is doing, and will do in the future.
Because of their "first love - Rev. 2: 5 NASB" for God, born again believers choose to spend their lives glorifying God by embracing the life of discipleship, and eventually become ambassadors. Some are called to martyrdom.
The (John 8: 32/Romans 8: 1) "truth" is clearly communicated in the unadulterated Gospel Message, encapsulated in John 3: 5, 7, 16, 18, and reiterated in such verses as Romans 8: 1.
The "unadulterated" Gospel Message is additive-free. Additives are the ingredients (so-called requirements) that Man-made religion has added to the mix.
...
Marital adultery (Exodus 20:14) is an offense that can result in great harm to the relationship and to the people involved (Prov. 6: 34/Isa. 42: 8).
Marital adultery involves mental desires (Matt. 5: 28) and/or sexual activity of unfaithfulness on the part of the one of the married partners, seeking other means or third parties, trying to satisfy their sexual appetite.
Spiritual adultery (Rev. 2: 4) is in view when a born again becomes unfaithful to the Lord by turning to third parties outside of the Trinity in an attempt to secure their spiritual needs (Isa. 42: 8), or when other things are given first place on the believer's list of priorities (Mark 8: 36)..
Adulterated Gospels, spiritual adultery, evil, and doctrines taught by demons (1Timothy 4: 1) is strong language, but clearly speaks to the unfaithfulness that is in view when one turns to other means (Ephesians 2: 9/Matt. 15: 9/1Tim. 2: 5) to obtain, retain, or to regain salvation; to seek guidance (Deut.18: 9 - 14); or when one places people (Luke 14: 26) or things (Mark 8: 36) ahead of God on his of her list of priorities.
End of Part Two
Part Two
As children, we have all played cowboys and Indians, school, house, soldiers, cops and robbers, doctors and nurses, spacemen, or other roles that were a part of past or future generations. There comes a time when thinking and playing like a child (1Cor. 13: 11) comes to an end and one must identify and engage in the role that God has in mind for dispensation (period of history) in which He placed us.
In some cases, the roles we played as children become our area of occupation in or outside of the home, labor, or profession as we become adults in the real world. Whatever role we find ourselves in, it is there (at least for the moment) that we are called to be His ambassadors (2Cor. 5: 20). It is in the capacity of an ambassador that we promote the Great Commission, participating in the salvation and in the edifying of souls.
The door of opportunity to be saved closes when one depart this Earth. No departed soul can be later prayed into Heaven of out of Hell. NO ONE knows if today is or is not going to be his or her last day on Earth. Today could be the last day of opportunity to be saved, or to take part in the salvation of someone else. Today could be the last day of opportunity to be further edified, or to further edify someone else. You, or they, may not be here tomorrow.
Any given individual on Earth could die today as a result of things that had nothing to do with one's age or health. If the Rapture takes place today, every born again believer would be instantaneously gone.
The Rapture may not take place for another 60 years or more. But on the other hand, it could take place before you finish reading this presentation!
Even in the absence of a pandemic, secular statistics reveal that over 100,000 souls or more leave this world every day. The departure of many being the last thing on their minds when they went to bed the night before or when they got up this morning.
The opportunity for any given born again believer to participate in the Great Commission ends at the Rapture or at his/her individual physical death; whichever comes first. The opportunity to be used by God to evangelize or to edify family, friends, and foes (Matt. 5:44) comes to an end when you or they depart this world.
If one has not been born again, the window of opportunity to be saved closes at the moment of physical death. Once departed, any soul that left this world in the capacity of an unbeliever,he or she can not later be prayed into Heaven or prayed out of Hades.
After the Rev. 20: 13, 15 event takes place, such unbelievers will not be spared from spending all of eternity in the lake of fire.
Each time (if there are additional opportunities coming) one says "No" or "Not interested" to God, his/her spirit heart develops another layer of scar tissue, hardening the heart a little bit more. This applies to the heart of an unbeliever regarding God's call to salvation, and the heart of a born again believer regarding God's call to discipleship and ambassadorship.
Thus we have been given clear Biblical warnings found in such verses as Heb. 3: 8, John 8: 24, Rev. 20: ,15, 1Cor. 3: 15. Some of these warnings apply to unbelievers. Others apply to believers.
One can become more religious or less religious any time one wants, but one can only be born again in response to the pre-salvation calling (Heb. 3: 15) of God the Holy Spirit when the Gospel Message is presented to him or her. God calls born again believers to the life of discipleship, and calls disciples to the life of ambassadorship EVERY day.
When the Gospel Message is presented, it's God the Holy Spirit (not the human communicator) who makes the Gospel understandable to an unsaved soul, affording the recipient the opportunity to be saved.
God uses human communicators, but it is God Who is calling all unbelievers to salvation (1Tim. 2: 4). God calls all born again believers to discipleship (Matt. 28: 19, 20). God calls all disciples to ambassadorship (2Cor. 5: 20). God calls all of the above to start and to finish the course (2Timothy 4: 7).
There is no greater honor, service, or responsibility than to speak for God. This function is not limited to clergy. It is a part of the plan that God has for everyone who climbs the ladder from born again believer to disciple; from disciple to ambassador. But with that responsibility, comes accountability (James 3: 1).
These callings of God are irrevocable (Romans 11: 29), and so are the blessings or consequences of our chosen responses.
Can you hear His voice? To which one of the above is God calling you today? What is your answer? There may be no tomorrow.
Salvation is not based on the overt activities that we do, have done, or refrain from doing. Our salvation is based on placing our personal trust and confidence in the atoning Work that Jesus Christ finished (John 19: 30) on the cross. NOTHING more, nothing less.
On the other hand, discipleship will require much more of us, as we DENY ourselves in order to follow Him down the road to spiritual maturity (Matt. 16: 24).
Discipleship is a post (after) salvation activity. Being a POST salvation activity, it does not even begin until AFTER the issue of salvation has been forever settled (Romans 8: 1). Discipleship has got nothing to do with earning, obtaining, or retaining salvation, but has everything to do with executing the type of post salvation spiritual life outlined in Scripture.
This is where the followers of Christian religion and the followers of Biblical Christianity separate and take different paths at this fork in the road.
Followers of Christian Religion HOPE that they saved and spend much of their lives trying to use human effort and Man-made religion to make or to keep themselves "right with God" in order to receive His earthly and Heavenly blessings. The problem with approach to spirituality is that WITHOUT God (John 15: 5), WE can accomplish NOTHING of significance in the spiritual realm.
Earning salvation sounds like a plan, as it makes sense and appeals to the arrogance and ignorance of our fallen nature. But the flaw in this strategy is that the outcome is based on OUR performance (Eph. 2: 8, 9), and not on His. No matter how relatively good we become or how well we perform, it will NEVER be good enough (Rom. 3: 23) to obtain or retain salvation.
Christian Religion(s) tends to roll salvation, discipleship, and ambassadorship into one ball of wax. Some go as far as making discipleship the means to either complete the "finished (John 19: 30)" work of Jesus, or as the means to retain the salvation that a born again believer has already received.
Well-intending, but blind guides lacking spiritual discernment do more harm than good. Unprepared (1Peter 3: 15) and ill-equiped (Ephesians 6: 11- 17) ambassadors will be neutralized before they take three steps into the battlefield of intense spiritual combat
All born again believers are forever (Romans 8: 1) saved, but many Christians NEVER advance beyond spiritual infancy (1Cor. 3:1).
Some embrace discipleship, but desert the battlefield when deceived, distracted, or discouraged (Mark 4: 16 - 19). Many are unwilling to risk rejection by lovers, family, and/or friends (Luke 24: 26) that the application of Bible Doctrine part of discipleship would require of them.
Only a minority of Christians continue to fight the fight, and finish the course (2Tim. 4: 7) when challenged by personal adversity.
If fallen Man could have been saved by good behavior, good deeds, or rituals performed at the hands of human priests, then for what reason did God the Father send and subject God the Son to suffer a painful, humiliating death in order to atone for sin on a Roman cross?
If ANYTHING else in addition to faith is required for one to be saved, then those "anything elses" means that the atoning work on the cross was not really "finished - John 19: 30 NASB," as Jesus announced.
Jesus made it clear to the unbelievers of His day (and now) that, "... unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins (John 8: 24).”
There is only ONE final destination for spiritually dead souls (Rev. 20: 15). What unbelievers need to understand is that spiritual death of the soul, unlike the physical death of the body, is NOT the end of it's existence. For ALL of (never-ending) eternity, every soul that God creates will be consciously alive and experiencing the environment that was established by the conscious choices he or she made while here on Earth.
The popular, "No one is promised tomorrow" saying would be more edifying if the statement were concluded by adding the phrase "to be "saved." Atheists and non-Chistians will agree that no one is promised tomorrow here on Earth, but it is what we believe takes place AFTER one departs is where we differ.
The Bible is either the greatest source of spiritual truth, or the greatest lie ever told. If the Bible is the greatest lie, that makes it's source of inspiration (2Tkm. 3: 16) the greatest liar. If there is no eternity or accountability ahead of us, then we may just as well eat, drink, and be merry (Eccl. 8: 15) for as long as we can do before we come to the inevitable end of the road. note that this Eccl. 8: 15 opinion of Solomon was made BEFORE He came to the ultimate conclusion that without God, everything is meaningless. The Book of Ecclesiastes begins a d ends with this conclusion. Throught the book, Solomon traces his observations and experiences, as he did everything he could, only to find the futi!ity of life without God.
On the other hand, if the Bible IS the inspired Word of God, and God is speaking the truth, speaks of IS speaking the truth, then we must be born again (John 3 5, 7), and then be wise to identify, develop, maintain, and execute the type of post salvation spiritual life that the Bible promotes.
From the very beginning and throughout all of human history, the devil or those who do his bidding have questioned, rejected, distorted, added to, and ignored what the spoken and the written (Bible) Word of God has had to say.
Learning (2Pet. 3: 18) and applying (James 1: 22) what the Word of God ACTUALLY had to say, is saying now, and what it says concerning future events will continue to be at the heart of spiritual combat throughout the course of human history.
" And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment (Heb. 9: 27 NASB)." At that time, it will be what the Bible ACTUALLY had to say that is going to matter and NOT what anyone or anything else had to say.
Among the things that the Bible has to say is that every soul that God has created or will create WILL live on for all of eternity. Life after death is not a matter of IF, by a matter of WHERE and HOW it WILL be experienced.
Another thing that the Bible says is that those who do not believe that, "I am He" will die in their sins (John 8: 24).
Believing that "I am He" means that one acknowledges that Jesus was/is God the Son, Who at the First Advent (Christmas) took on human form, and in the capacity of the Lamb of God, would and did atone for the world's sin debt on the cross.
To die in your sins, means to leave this world at the moment of physical death in the capacity of an unbeliever. In Revelation 20: 15, we read of the eternal future of ALL souls that, by the John 3: 18 decision they make, choose to leave this world in the capacity of an unbeliever.
"And if anyone’s name (regardless of religious or lack of religious participation, good behavior,or good deeds) was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 15 NASB parentheses mine)."
To have one's name written down in the Rev. 20: 15 book of life one MUST (John 3: 5, 7) be born again.
Post salvation sin results in divine discipline (Heb. 12: 6), but such divine discipline does not undo the (Ephesians 4: 30) sealing (baptizing), or the (Titus 3: 5) regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit that took place the moment one was born again. Physical death (Acts 5) is the most extreme form of divine discipline, but the physical death of the body does not take the life of the departed soul. Divine discipline is NOT by any means the only cause or purpose (John 19: 30) for physical death (Psalm 116: 15).
Spiritually speaking, the only tragic death is the death of one who dies in his or her sin (John 8: 24). The tragic part is the irreversible consequences (Rev. 20: 15).
God's gifts, including the gift of eternal life, are irrevocable (Romans 11: 29).
Followers of Biblical Christianity KNOW that they are forever (Romans 8: 1) saved. They thank God that their salvation is NOT dependent on what they did or had done by anyone else, but by having trust and confidence (faith) in what He did, is doing, and will do in the future.
Because of their "first love - Rev. 2: 5 NASB" for God, born again believers choose to spend their lives glorifying God by embracing the life of discipleship, and eventually become ambassadors. Some are called to martyrdom.
The (John 8: 32/Romans 8: 1) "truth" is clearly communicated in the unadulterated Gospel Message, encapsulated in John 3: 5, 7, 16, 18, and reiterated in such verses as Romans 8: 1.
The "unadulterated" Gospel Message is additive-free. Additives are the ingredients (so-called requirements) that Man-made religion has added to the mix.
...
Marital adultery (Exodus 20:14) is an offense that can result in great harm to the relationship and to the people involved (Prov. 6: 34/Isa. 42: 8).
Marital adultery involves mental desires (Matt. 5: 28) and/or sexual activity of unfaithfulness on the part of the one of the married partners, seeking other means or third parties, trying to satisfy their sexual appetite.
Spiritual adultery (Rev. 2: 4) is in view when a born again becomes unfaithful to the Lord by turning to third parties outside of the Trinity in an attempt to secure their spiritual needs (Isa. 42: 8), or when other things are given first place on the believer's list of priorities (Mark 8: 36)..
Adulterated Gospels, spiritual adultery, evil, and doctrines taught by demons (1Timothy 4: 1) is strong language, but clearly speaks to the unfaithfulness that is in view when one turns to other means (Ephesians 2: 9/Matt. 15: 9/1Tim. 2: 5) to obtain, retain, or to regain salvation; to seek guidance (Deut.18: 9 - 14); or when one places people (Luke 14: 26) or things (Mark 8: 36) ahead of God on his of her list of priorities.
End of Part Two